Killing of Gabby Petito
 | This article is about a person involved in a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The last updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (September 2021) |
Gabrielle "Gabby" Petito | |
|---|---|
| File:Gabrielle Petito.jpg Gabrielle Petito in 2021 | |
| Born | Gabrielle Petito March 19, 1999 Blue Point, New York, U.S. |
| Disappeared | August 25, 2021 (age 22) Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, U.S. |
| Status | Missing for 3 years, 3 months and 16 days |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Bayport-Blue Point High School |
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) |
| Partner | Brian Laundrie |
| Parents |
|
Gabrielle "Gabby" Petito (born March 19, 1999) is a 22-year-old American woman from Suffolk County, New York, who was reported missing on September 11, 2021, while traveling across the United States with her fiancé. Her family lost contact with her in late August when she was in or near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.[1][2][3]
Background
Petito and her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, were childhood sweethearts in Suffolk County, New York. She graduated from Bayport-Blue Point High School in 2017,[4] and lived in Blue Point, New York before moving in with his parents in North Port, Florida in 2019.[5] They departed from New York on July 2, 2021, for a four-month cross country trip in a 2012 Ford Transit Connect van converted to a camper. The couple was documenting their cross-country journey on Petito's YouTube account, "Nomadic Statik", as well as their Instagram accounts,[6] with the last video being posted in August 2021, three weeks prior to her disappearance.[7][8]
Domestic disturbance
On August 12, 2021, the Moab, Utah police intervened in a domestic dispute between the couple that resulted in a roadside stop.[9] A witness who called 911 claimed that the pair were fighting near the Moonflower Community Co-op over a phone and when Laundrie got back into the van. The witness also claimed that Petito struck Laundrie in the arm before trying to climb in through the driver's side window.[10] When responding police arrived, they had to pull the van over near the entrance to Arches National Park and found Petito crying heavily in the passenger seat, and she told officers she was struggling with her mental health. The responding officer wrote in his report that, "at no point in my investigation did Gabrielle stop crying, breathing heavily, or compose a sentence without needing to wipe away tears, wipe her nose, or rub her knees with her hands."[5]
Laundrie stated that the two of them began arguing in town, citing emotional tension that had been building between the two due to traveling together for four to five weeks, resulting in an increase of arguments. Both agreed that Petito had struck Laundrie, as she was concerned that he would leave her alone and stranded in town after he got in the van.[5] In the report, the officers characterized Petito as the suspect as "the male tried to create distance by telling Gabbie to take a walk to calm down....she did not want to be separated from the male and began slapping him. She showed indications of separation anxiety. He grabbed her face and pushed her back as she pressed upon him and the van."[11][12]
No charges were filed and the police arranged for the Laundrie to spend a night in a hotel and for Petito to stay in the van, in order to separate the two after characterizing the incident as a mental/emotional health break instead of domestic assault.[8]
Disappearance
Petito stayed at a hotel near Salt Lake City International Airport on August 24, 2021, according to hotel staff.[13] Petito's mother, Nichole Schmidt, stated that Petito had told her they were traveling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Yellowstone National Park, and had last received a FaceTime call from her around August 24, and Petito claimed to be in Grand Teton National Park in northwestern Wyoming. Text messages also continued to be sent from Petito's phone to her mother until August 30, although her mother is unsure about their validity.[14]
Laundrie returned to Florida with the van on September 1, without Petito.[15] Petito's family reported her missing on September 11, 2021.[1][16]
On September 17, officials reported that Laundrie disappeared.[17]
Investigation
Laundrie is exercising his constitutional rights and is not speaking to police while the investigation is ongoing. He has hired a lawyer and is considered a person of interest in the case. His parents have denied contact with law enforcement and with the Petito family, instead directing all contact through the family lawyer who has advised Laundrie to refuse to comment.[11] The lawyer also issued a statement claiming that in his experience intimate partners are often the first person law enforcement focus on, and any statement made would be used against him, so he had advised Laundrie to remain silent.[12] While he has not been charged with any crime as of September 17, 2021, the North Port police are investigating the case with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Suffolk County Police Department in New York.[10]
The van was later recovered from Laundrie's family home and was processed by police to look for additional evidence.[15]
Response
In a statement at a press briefing, the Petito family's lawyer spoke out against Laundrie's family, who stated that the Petitos' desperation has turned to anger and the family believe that the Laundries know where Petito is and have chosen not to tell them.[11]
References
- ^ a b "A 'Vanlife' Couple Went on a Cross-Country Trip, but Only One Returned". The New York Times. September 15, 2021.
- ^ "Utah cops release chilling bodycam footage of Gabby Petito, beau in domestic incident call". New York Post. September 14, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Moshtaghian, Artemis (September 15, 2021). "Police looking for missing woman Gabby Petito ask for her boyfriend's cooperation". CNN.
- ^ Hoey, Peggy Spellman (September 13, 2021). "LI Mom To Missing Daughter: 'We Just Need To See You Again'". Patch.com.
- ^ a b c "A Young Woman Vanished On A Cross-Country Trip. Her Boyfriend Is A Person Of Interest". NPR.org. September 16, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Perrett, Connor; Cohen, Rebecca (September 16, 2021). "A timeline of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie's road trip that ended in her disappearance". Insider. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Torres, Oscar Santiago. "What we know about missing Florida woman Gabby Petito". Naples News. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
- ^ a b "Body camera video released of police interaction with Petito, Laundrie after 911 call". ABC7 New York. September 16, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Campsite planning app offers new clues in case of missing woman Gabby Petito". KSLTV.com. September 18, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
- ^ a b "Search on for North Port woman missing from cross-country trip". Tampa Bay Times. September 16, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c Sheehan, Kevin; Fitz-Gibbon, Jorge (September 16, 2021). "Gabby Petito's family says Brian Laundrie's parents know where she is". New York Post. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "Missing Long Island native's boyfriend a person of interest, hindering investigation, police say". ABC7 New York. September 15, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Helean, Jack (September 16, 2021). "FOX 13 confirms Salt Lake City hotel where missing woman Gabby Petito was last seen". FOX 13.
- ^ Shur, Alexander (September 14, 2021). "Missing woman believed to last be in Teton Park". Jackson Hole News&Guide. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b CNN, Christina Maxouris. "A timeline of missing 22-year-old Gabby Petito's case". CNN. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "Moab police release body camera video of interaction with Gabby Petito, boyfriend". WINK-TV. September 16, 2021.
- ^ "Brian Laundrie, fiancé and person of interest in disappearance of Gabby Petito, is missing, Florida official says". NBC News. Retrieved September 18, 2021.